Thursday, July 31, 2014

Blog 20

Monday and Tuesday:

In the lab on Monday I worked on dissolving rhodamine B into
ethanol so that I could encapsulate more in each microcapsule. Unfortunately, I
had a lot of trouble with this because the rhodamine would never completely
dissolve in the ethanol, even if the concentration was far below the solubility
of rhodamine in ethanol. After dissolving a very small amount of a more pure rhodamine
B sample into ethanol, Yuan Shuai and I determined that the rhodamine we have available
to use is not pure enough for the intended experiment. Our options for this experiment
are to encapsulate a new chemical, or to buy another higher quality sample of rhodamine.
We decided to discuss the direction of this experiment with Professor Xu and
Dr. Si later in the week.

In the afternoon, I helped Yuan Shuai with his experiment. I
took photos of the microcapsules he collected, while he created his stable cone
and took photographs of it. This experiment lasted most of the afternoon. I
really enjoy learning from Yuan Shuai because he is very passionate about his
work, and he has done such a great job developing his experiment.

On Tuesday morning I had another dragon boat practice. It
has been fun to meet and spend time with the other members of the team. They often
keep a light-hearted atmosphere during practice by joking around with one
another and singing songs. Even though I generally have no idea what is being
said, it is still nice to be around such happy friendly people.

I got back to the lab by about 2:30 and started working on a
presentation for my eye model project that I would present in the meeting later
that day. I also took some photos in the lab with Yuan Shuai and Lei Fan that
were used to showcase the lab to students from other schools that would come see
the lab on Wednesday. Below are some of the photos we took!

At the meeting on Tuesday night we talked more about some of
the clinical uses of the eye model. As a summary of this meeting, we determined
that there are two different possible eye models. One model would be used to
test the effects of ocular and cranial pulsations on the optic nerve, an
implanted sensor, or a mounted piece of ocular tissue. The second model would
be used to determine how the non-contact tonometry test (air puff test) affects
the lens and fluid movement in the eye.This model may be more difficult to create because it requires a
transparent 3D printed material. The group of people working on the eye model
decided to have another meeting on Thursday morning to clarify the work we
should be doing.

When I got home on Tuesday night I had the opportunity to
talk to the four other American students that just arrived at USTC! They live on
my floor and moved in earlier that day. These students are here from Lehigh
University, and are working in different labs on campus. It was so fun to stay
up talking to these people about the experiences we have had. It made me
realize how many incredibly funny and unique experiences I have had throughout
my trip. I am excited to see them around campus and to get to know them better!

Wednesday and Thursday:

Wednesday I spent most of my time creating a PowerPoint presentation
for the Thursday morning meeting about the eye model project.I did some research on intracranial and
intraocular pressure and the diseases related to high ocular pressure. This
information gave me a better idea of what the model should be simulating. In
the afternoon there were a lot of students from other schools coming in and out
of the lab. Some of the students from the lab were chosen to share their work
with the group. It was hard to get a lot done during this time, but it was a
fun atmosphere in the lab. After dinner I went with 3 other friends to go see
the movie transformers. Below is a photo from the movie night!

Thursday morning I woke up early for our meeting about the
eye model. During this meeting there were a lot of ideas shared about what
features the model should have. I left this meeting with the goal of creating a
model based on a new idea that Professor Xu had. I would first create the general
model to show Professor Xu to ensure that I understood his ideas for the model.
Since my meeting for the microencapsulation group was canceled that morning, I
was able to spend the rest of my afternoon working on my PowerPoint slides for
Friday’s paper sharing meeting. This is the last presentation I will be giving
about the book, Essentials of Writing
Biomedical Research Papers by Mimi Zeiger.

After dinner on Friday I was able to help Yuan Shuai with his
experiment again. It was the same concept, but this time he was working with
triaxial electrospray instead of coaxial electrospray. I am happy I can help
him with his work, because he has done so much to help me with mine!

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday:

Friday was a very busy day, and began with another dragon
boat practice. Below are some photos of the beginning of practice! We all
generally start by rowing on the side of the dock before practicing in the
boats. There are 2 people rowing on each bench in the boat, a person at the
head of the boat beating a drum to keep rhythm, and a person in the back
steering the boat. We generally practice in two small boats, but the boat for the
competition will be different than these shown below, and will have all 20
people in the boat rowing.

After practice I went back to the lab to create a new model
based on my understanding of what Professor Xu is looking for. I was able to
focus on working on this project because the meeting that afternoon was
canceled. After making the model, I was able to talk to Professor Xu again
about what changes I should make. Below is a photo of this model.

At night I went swimming with another student from the lab.
The pool is on East campus, which I think has some very beautiful scenery.
Below is a photo of me in from of the lotus plants that have grown extremely
tall and now cover the whole pond!

On our campus there are also these beautiful plants and
flowers, but they do not cover the whole pond. Below are some photos of the lotus
flowers from west campus. The tall building in the second photo is the west
campus library.

Saturday and Sunday I spent most of my time in the lab working
on a couple of different projects. Most of my time was spent making revisions
to the eye model drawings that I have been working on. I was able to talk to Professor
Xu on Saturday, after I made my first model to arrive at my newest model. Below
are the photos of the progression of the model.

This model features a cranial chamber, ocular chamber, and a
base. The base has 2 openings for the inlet and the outlet to the ocular
chamber. These will be connected to a roller pump to create pulsations within
the chamber. Between the ocular chamber and cranial chamber, there is a space
to mount a strain gauge or other kind of sensor. These pieces will be held
together by binding posts. The cranial chamber also has 2 holes in the back
that will allow for the inlet and outlet of fluids. These will also be
connected to a roller pump to create a pulsing flow. The cornea is not featured
in this model because I plan to input the contact as the cornea as I previously
discussed doing. Most of the changes to these models were made to ensure the
eye is correctly scaled and to create the correct size for the binding parts.

I also had to work on an article that the coach of the dragon
boat team asked me to write about being a member of the team. From what I
understand, this will be posted on the English version of USTC’s website!
Lastly, I was able to help another student from the dragon boat team by
correcting her English paper. Overall, it was a very busy weekend, but it was
great to get ahead on my work so that I can enjoy my trip this week!